Then You Were Gone
by darkest-hour
Summary: Suze gets kidnapped by Paul..you want to know more? READ THE STORY!
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the characters, so don't sue. And this is my first fan fic ever, so don't be too mean.  
  
~~~~  
  
Okay, here's a little fact about mediators. They don't like being disturbed in their sleep by the dead. Even if that particular dead person happens to be the ghost of a totally hot cowboy that died one hundred and fifty years ago. And that was exactly what was happening to me right now.  
  
"Susannah, wake up!" Jesse said, as he shook me. This didn't make me too happy, because I had just fallen asleep maybe an hour ago, thanks to my English teacher assigning my class a 700 word essay. Oh, and it's due tomorrow. Or today, I should say, because it's 3:12 a.m.  
  
"What?" I snapped. I looked at Jesse angrily. He let go of me, and I noticed something in his dark eyes. I didn't recognize it at first, but I slowly realized what it was. It was fear.  
  
"Guess who's back." he said, looking down at me. Hearing him say that was kind of funny, thanks to Dopey playing Eminem's "Without Me" a couple hundred times.  
  
"Um...Eminem?" I said. Somehow I always seem to say the most dorkiest things. There has got to be something wrong with me.  
  
Jesse blinked a few times. Obviously I've confused him. "Who?" he said, lookeing as confused as ever.  
  
"Never mind. Who's back?" I said, watching him go from confused to serious.  
  
"Paul Slater. Susannah-" he said, before I cut him off.  
  
I laughed nervously. "Um, no, Jesse. Paul's in jail, remember?" I said, remembering the horrible events that happened last month. I don't even want to explain it.  
  
"No, no, he's not. He's back." Jesse told me. I looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, okay, Jesse. Paul's back. Yep. He escaped from jail. Now he's on his way to my house so he can come and finish what he started." I said sarcastically. Jesse nodded, and for a second I actually believed him.  
  
"I'm not sure what he's going to do, but I'm sure that's what he's thinking of. Susannah, we have to leave." he said, grabbing my arm. I jerked my arm away.  
  
"Jesse, calm down. He's not out of jail." I said. I fully trust the Carmel cops. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"He is, Susannah. And if we don't leave, he's going to kill you. You know what happened last time." Jesse reminded me. I looked into his eyes again. He looked totally serious, and afraid. For me. The last time I saw him afraid for me, is when his ex-fiancée, Maria de Silva, tried to kill me. Or at least threatened to. Suddenly, I believed everything he just told me, and a wave of terror washed over me.  
  
"Okay. Let's go." I said, getting out of bed. "But would you let me at least get dressed first?"  
  
"Yes, just hurry." he whispered. I grabbed some random pair of jeans and some random T-shirt and walked into the bathroom to change. Then I walked out and grabbed my motorcylce jacket. Jesse was quiet as I tied my shoes.  
  
Jesse grabbed my hand and we began to walk out of my room. Then I remembered I should at least leave a note on my bed explaining my sudden absence. I stopped walking, and Jesse turned around. "Querida, what are you doing? Let's go!" he whispered.  
  
I smiled a little at hearing him call me querida again, and said, "I have to at least write a note for Mom and Andy." And with that I walked back and pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of my backpack and wrote a note explaining why I was gone, and for them to not worry, I'd be back ASAP.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready." I said, as he grabbed my hand again.  
  
After we got outside, I finally asked, "Um, where exactly are we going?"  
  
"To the mission." Jesse said. I nodded, although I doubt he saw me, since there were no lights.  
  
"Okay, and exactly how long am I going to be gone?" I asked. It was quiet for a couple seconds, but finally he spoke.  
  
"Until we can make Paul go back to where he came from." he said.  
  
I smiled brightly. "You mean we're going to kill him and let him go back to his throne in hell?"  
  
Jesse laughed quietly at this. "No. Back to prison." My smile faded. "But if he lays a hand on you, I'll kill him." he said, protectively. Well, he should be. Protective, I mean. I'm his girlfriend, afterall.  
  
"Thanks, Jesse." I said, happy to know he would gladly kill any guy that attempted to murder me. Twice. "I'll gladly kill any moron that tries to send you away." I was hoping he'd kiss me for saying that, but instead he didn't do -or say- anything. That's because we both heard a noise behind us.  
  
"Susannah.." Jesse said, quietly, but firmly.  
  
"What?" I whispered. I'll admit. I was kind of scared. It was just like those movies where the girl hears a noise behind her, and she turns around and the person who made the noise leaps out and mugs her. We didn't stop, though. We kept walking, even if it was rather slowly.  
  
"Don't let go of my hand." he said. I noticed the protectiveness in his voice, so I nodded and grabbed his hand and held on tightly. Then we walked a little more quickly.  
  
We walked quietly for a couple minutes. We were both listening for another noise to come from behind us. We were getting closer to the mission.  
  
"I love you, Susannah." Jesse said, breaking the silence. It was sweet of him, but I didn't quite understand why he was bringing this up now.  
  
"I love you, too, Jesse, but why are you bringing this up now?" I wanted to know. I looked at him. He looked back at me.  
  
"Because, I might not get a chance to later." he said. About a second after that, he spun around, causing me to turn around with him, and I got my first look at Paul since he was carted off to jail not too long ago. Then Jesse jumped on him and started to, from how I saw it, murder him. I didn't try to get Jesse off of Paul. Instead, I watched Jesse beat Paul to a pulp, and wondered just what he meant by, "Because I might not get a chance to later."  
  
And as I was looking at Jesse running after me while being dragged away by Paul, I realized it's because he knew something I didn't. Something that soon I would've wished I knew. 


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, I own nothing.   
  
THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!!  
  
I know it was confusing. I looked the story over about a zillion times, but I still managed to make it confusing. Sorry!!  
And for the people who thought Jesse got kidnapped, it wasn't Jesse. It was Suze. I'm so sorry for messing that up! I  
hope it wasn't too bad.  
  
~~~  
  
Now, don't think I didn't try to squirm away. Believe me, I so did. But he had the same kind of grip on me that he had  
in his room that day when he sicced the Hell's Angel on me. So, finally I gave up. I just let him take me. Besides, I  
didn't work on my kickboxing for three hours a day for nothing. And plus, Jesse will come to rescue me, anyway. He  
always does.  
  
So now, I'm locked in some basement with two ghosts named Shirley and Frank. They're arguing over who could  
remember their murder the best. They don't even seem to notice me, so I just sit there and watch them.   
  
It must've been a half hour by time Paul came back down to get me. All he did was walk down the steps and grab me  
roughly by the arm, and push me up the stairs. He didn't say a word. But he had a lot to say.   
  
He led me into a living room. I noticed right away it wasn't Grandpa Slaski's uncomfortable house, but it was  
somewhee deep in the woods. "Sit." he grunted, pointing to a couch. So I sat.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice a little shaky. Okay, I may have gotten away last time, but it doesn't mean I'm  
not scared of him.   
  
He looked at me angrily. Then he smiled. "I want you to rethink this whole Jesse thing. Look, I know I was terrible  
before, but I've changed. Really, Suze, I have." he said. Something inside of me wanted to believe him, but I wasn't  
letting that little part of me win. So, I smiled, and informed him that I'd rather hack up my vital organs than ever go out  
with him.   
  
"Hack away, Suze. Just because you say you don't want to be with me, doesn't mean that you truly don't. I can make  
you love me, Suze." he said cooly. I raised my eyebrows for a second, thinking that he was serious. Then I started  
laughing.  
  
"Yeah, okay, Paul. What did they do? Put you in the psychiatric ward at the hospital? I thought you went to jail, not the  
loony bin." I said. I had stopped laughing by now, but I was smiling pretty brightly.  
  
"No. I already had these powers. Just like shifting, and soul transference. But believe me, Suze. I can make you love me.  
I don't want to have to do it, but I'm afraid I just might have to." he said, looking as serious as ever. They must've  
taught him how to act during his visit to the slammer, because he's putting on a pretty convincing show.   
  
"Yeah, okay, Paul. Can you float objects with your mind, too?" I asked, being sarcastic, of course. This is really  
beginning to get boring. I want to go home. I am really tired. I bet Mom and Andy are worried about me. I did leave a  
note, though. They're really going to kill me when I get home. It's not like I've been Ms. Manners lately. Or ever, to tell  
the truth. Being a mediator always made me have to sneak out of the house at ridicoulous hours and come home with  
the police.   
  
"Come on, I'm taking you home." he said, getting up. I blinked a few times. That's it? No broken arm? No being  
tortured?   
  
"Um, okay." I said, following him. I didn't dare mention the fact that he hasn't tortured me or anything, because I didn't  
really want him to. Torture me, I mean.   
  
When he dropped me off at my house, there were no police cars or fire engines outside. I looked at the clock on Paul's  
dashboard. It was only 8:40 a.m. They probably figured I went out early in the morning and meant I wouldn't be back  
until late.   
  
"I'll be back to get you on Saturday." Paul said, looking out the windshield at the road in front of him. I looked at him.  
  
"Sure, Paul. And I'll be waiting." I said sarcastically. Like hell I'm going to see him again! If I ever had to sit in that  
basement and listen to Shirley's murder again, I would simply die!  
  
I opened the door and began to get out. "Be at the Safeway at 11:30 p.m. If you're not there, I'll get you myself, and  
you don't want that." he said, still not bothering to look at me.   
  
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Paul. I'll have Jesse drive me. Buh-bye now!" I said sarcastically. I got out and slammed the  
door before Paul could react.  
  
I used the spare key to get inside the house. Nobody was home, so I just dragged myself upstairs, so I could take a long  
hot bath and sleep for the entire week. But once I got up there, I saw that my plans would have to be rearranged. Jesse  
was sitting at the window seat waiting for me. He looked both worried and angry. He jumped up and ran over to me. He  
grabbed me by the shoulders.  
  
"Querida, did he hurt you?" he asked. I thought about telling him he did, so Jesse could go kill him, and I wouldn't  
have to find a way to tell him that Paul was re-kidnapping me on Saturday.   
  
"No," I said "not really. He just grabbed me by the arm kinda roughly. It doesn't hurt, though." I said. He glared at  
something behind me.   
  
"I'll kill him." Jesse growled, still glaring. I liked hearing this.   
  
"Jesse, it's nothing, really. He didn't hurt me. He scared me a little, though." I said, instantly regretting what I said.  
Now I would have to tell him this whole story about how Paul said I was going to love him and crap.   
  
"What did he say to you?" he asked. He still had his hands on my shoulders. Jeez, you would think me being his  
girlfriend and all that he would at least kiss me. But, of course, he didn't.  
  
"Nothing." I said, looking over at the ground.   
  
"Susannah, what did he say?" Jesse asked me, sounding angry. I looked up at him. I thought that maybe if I tell him  
every little thing he said, that he would snatch me up and hold me like he did when Maria held the knife to my throat.  
  
"Well, he didn't say much. But he told me that if I didn't go out with him, he was going to make me love him, and that I  
wouldn't like it. And he said he has these powers, but he didn't say anything about them, he just kept going on and on  
and on about me loving him, and how I'm denying it and everything. Which I am so not. Denying it, I mean. I do not  
love him. I would rather hack up my organs than love him. And I told him that, but he didn't seem to care. Now he  
wants me to meet him at the store at 11:30 on Saturday. He wants to kidnap me again, I think. And I don't want to go,  
but he says he's going to come after me if I don't come, and once again, I won't like it. So, that's about it." I said. I  
know I was babbling, and so did he, because he just looked at me.  
  
"What?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. I have to explain this again, when I never even wanted to say anything about in the  
first place.  
  
I took a deep breath. "Paul says he can make me love him. And now he wants me to meet him at the Safeway at 11:30  
p.m. on Saturday. He says if I don't come, he'll come after me." I said, slowly this time.   
  
Jesse let go of my shoulders and started pacing the room. He uttered a bunch of Spanish words under his breath. I  
wouldn't doubt that he was swearing, but there was no way I could tell, thanks to me not knowing almost no Spanish at  
all.  
"Well, you know, I could always just go to the police. They'd catch him, right?" I asked. Jesse obviously wasn't paying  
attention. Suddenly, Jesse stopped pacing, walked up to me, and grabbed my shoulders again.  
  
"We have to get you out of here. We have to go somewhere far, so he won't know where you are. We-" Jesse said, but  
he was interrupted.  
  
"I was was afraid you'd try that." Paul said, walking into my room.  
  
Shit. 


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own anything.  
  
~~~~  
  
I'm not going to tell you about what happened. All I will tell you is  
that I ended up in Paul's car again. I hardly even had a chance to say good-bye  
to Jesse before Paul grabbed me again and pushed me out the door.   
  
So now I'm sitting in his car, waiting for something bad to happen.  
  
"Why did you tell him about that? I didn't want to have to hurt anyone."  
he asked angrily.   
  
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. You? Not wanting to hurt anyone? I'm not  
stupid, Paul." I said.  
  
He glared at me. "It's true, Suze."  
  
"Yeah, sure." I said, looking out at the road. We were somewhere past the  
cliff where Michael Meducci killed the RHS Angels.  
  
"When I drop you off- IF I drop you off, you're not going to tell Jesse  
or anyone about anything I said to you." he told me.   
  
I looked at him disgustedly. I wanted to tell him that he had no right to  
tell me what to do. "Okay, I won't tell him anything."   
  
What the hell! I wasn't telling myself to say that! What's wrong with me?  
  
"Do you want me to take you back home?" he asked, with an evil smile.  
  
I wanted to scream yes at the top of my lungs, and jump out of the car and  
run home. But something was making me say something else.  
  
"No, of course not." I said. I was screaming yes inside my head but the]  
right words wouldn't come out of my mouth.  
  
"Good." he said, his smile growing wider.  
  
We sat there for a couple minutes in silence.   
  
"Where are we going?" I asked.  
  
"My new house." he said.  
  
Right then and there I wanted to jump out of that car. And I was about to,  
but he stopped me.  
  
"Don't even try it." he said.  
  
For a second I wondered how he could've even known I was about to jump out,   
because I made no movement whatsoever, but then I said, "I'm sorry. I'll   
never do it again."  
  
Who's making me say all that? I know I wasn't telling myself to say that.  
  
"Good." he said, turning down a street.  
  
A couple seconds later, we were getting out of the car and walking up the  
driveway.  
  
"This," he said, "is the place you and I are going to live."  
  
I was about to tell him I would rather kill myself than live with him, but  
once again, the wrong words came out. "I can't wait, Paul."   
  
What the hell?  
  
"Okay." he said, as he unlocked the door.  
  
It wasn't the same house as last night. It was bigger, and it was beautiful.  
  
Too bad I was going to have to leave it.  
  
~~~~  
Was this chapter too short? 


	4. Chapter 4

Yeah, I don't own the Mediator. Can I stop saying that now?  
  
Thanks to everyone for reviewing.  
  
~~~~  
  
"So, Suze. Do you like it here?" Paul asked me.  
  
"Yes." I said. Once again, what the hell is wrong with me?  
  
"Good." he said. "You're wondering why you're saying all the wrong  
things, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
Finally, I spoke the words that I actually WANTED myself to say. "Yes,  
Paul, I am. And I do not like it here. I don't want to live with you,   
either. Frankly, I want to go home." I said. It felt good to speak for   
myself. That was really beginning to annoy me.  
  
"Well, you see. You're not going to go home, because I'm not going to  
let you leave." he said, smiling menacingly.   
  
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Just tell me why I can't say any of the  
things I want to say, okay?" I demanded. I was getting really annoyed   
with this.   
  
"Because I'm making you say all that stuff." he said, his evil smile  
growing wider every second.  
  
"Yeah, right, Paul. And my Grandpa's name is Carlos Santana." I said,   
rolling my eyes and glaring at him. "I'm probably just sick."  
  
He laughed. "You believe me, right, Suze?" he asked, looking over at me   
and smiling expectantly.  
  
"Yes." I said. Okay, maybe he can control my mind. But he's not going to  
be able to with a concussion, right?  
  
"Suze, you would never want to hurt me." he said. Okay, so he can also   
read my mind. But he can't do that with a concussion, either, can he?  
  
"No, I wouldn't." I said.   
  
"You love me." he said. I guess he didn't have time to make me say what he  
wanted to make me say, because the minute he said that, I punched him in the   
face. It was comforting to hear the nasal cartilage crunch beneath my fist.  
  
"What the hell!" he yelled, rushing up to stop the blood from getting all over  
the couch.  
  
"You should know by now that I don't love you." I said, kicking him hard in  
the shin. Look, I know I was being to violent for him just trying to make   
me say I love him, but I've been dying to hurt him like that for the longest  
time.  
  
"Then who do you love, Suze? And don't tell me you love that dead cowboy." he said, still  
holding his hand to his nose.  
  
"He's not a cowboy. And yes, I do love Jesse." I said. I needed to plan an escape.   
  
So, I kicked his right shin again and then I kicked his left shin twice. Then I ran.  
I got pretty far, too. But then I realized I couldn't drive. Damn!   
  
Five minutes later, I was back at Paul's house.  
  
"You're back?" he asked, leaning aganist the front doors frame.  
  
I glared at him. "Yes. But only for you to drive me home." I said.  
  
"Why should I take you home?" he asked, looking amused. Well, as amused as a guy with a  
bloody nose could get.  
  
I pondered this for a second. Then I got the perfect plan.  
  
"Well, because I really do love you." I said, trying not to gag. This very might well  
work, so I have to act it out as good as I can. Let's just hope he isn't reading my  
mind.  
  
"Oh really?" he asked, smiling.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, and I want to go home so I can dump Jesse." I said.  
  
He smiled. "Okay, let me just get my keys." he said, turning around.  
  
Minutes later, we were cruising down the road.   
  
"So I'm just going to go home, get some stuff together, dump Jesse, and  
I'll be waiting for you at midnight the next night." I said, telling him  
my plans.  
  
"I'm going to pick you up tonight." he said.   
  
"No, Paul. It might take awhile for Jesse to realize I really don't like him."  
I said.  
  
"Fine." he said.  
  
Now here's the real plan.   
  
I'm going to go home, tell Jesse what happened, then we're both going to leave, and  
go somewhere where Paul can't find us, just like before. Then I'm going to live  
happily ever after with the REAL guy I love, Jesse de Silva.   
  
Suddenly I remembered that Paul could read my mind. I looked over at him quickly  
to see if his expression changed or anything, but it hadn't. Thank God.  
  
A half hour later, I stood upstairs, telling Jesse everything that was going on.  
"And now we have got to run away, Jesse, because he's going to make me marry him  
and make me live in a house with him, and there isn't even seperate bedrooms, and   
if I was forced to even sleep in the same room with him, let alone bed, I think I   
would die. So we have to go now. He's coming to get me at midnight." I said.  
  
"Susannah-" Jesse said, but was cut off by my babbling.  
  
"But where would we go? I mean, we could go tell Father D., but he wouldn't approve. He  
could drive us somewhere, but he would give me a whole lecture on how it was wrong,   
and how I should call the police on Paul. But he doesn't understand. If Paul got out before,  
he can surely get out again. He's not as stupid as I like to think he is. So what do we do?"  
I asked, trying to catch my breath.  
  
"Well, I think we should ask Father Dominic to take us somewhere where Paul wouldn't ever think  
of going." he said, petting Spike.  
  
"Well, duh, Jesse." I said. "I'll call Father Dom and see if he'll take us." I said. Now I   
just have to think up a good lie to get him to take us.  
  
I picked up my phone and dialed the mission's number. Sister Ernestine answered.   
  
"Hi, can I talk to Father Dominic?" I asked her.  
  
"Father Dominic is currently very busy, young lady. You should-" she said, but I interrupted.  
  
"Oh, yes, I would say he would be, but it'll only take a second." I said, trying to sound as  
calm as possible.  
  
"Oh, fine. Wait a minute." she said, obviously slamming the phone down on the desk and calling for   
Father Dominic to answer line 2.  
  
A couple seconds later, a deep fimiliar voice came on the other line.   
  
"Father Dom? It's Suze. Look, I need you to help Jesse and I." I said, wasting no time at all.  
Hey, you would be too, if your mind was in danger of being controlled by a criminal.  
  
"Susannah, I can't help you right now." he said. I could imagine him sitting there, fiddling  
with that box of cigarettes, even as he talked to me.  
  
"It won't take long. I just need you to drive Jesse and I to...L.A. or something." I said.  
  
"Susannah. I just can't walk out of the school and drive you and Jesse somewhere." he said,  
trying to sound reasonable and calm.  
  
"Please? It's important. I found out about a bookstore that has information about mediating.  
I was just hoping you could drive me there, so I wouldn't have to lie to Adam and Cee Cee why I  
have a smelly old book." I begged innocently.  
  
There was silence for a couple seconds. "Oh..oh, fine." he said. "But you're going to tell me  
why you weren't in school today while we're driving."   
  
I smiled. "Okay, Father D. Thanks!" I said, and hung up. I am very proud of my persuasive skills.  
  
"So?" Jesse asked, moving Spike over and standing up.  
  
"So, we're going to Los Angeles." I said. I wasn't sure if there was a Los Angeles back when Jesse  
was around.  
  
"Alright." he said.  
  
About 25 minutes later, Jesse, Father D., and I were riding down the highway, making our way towards   
Los Angeles. I was happy. No, I was estatic. Because everything was perfect.  
  
Well, for now, at least.  
  
~~~~  
Was this long enough? 


End file.
